How to Use the Photoshop Pen Tool - Photoshop Beginner Tutorial

Learning how to use the Pen Tool in Photoshop is a great place to start when it comes to
exploring the capabilities and potential of the software.
1. The Basics

The Pen Tool has three main settings: Create a new work path, create a new shape layer,
and fill pixels. Starting with "create new work path" is a good idea, as this is the most
commonly used option for the Photoshop Pen Tool.
2. Using a New Work Path

Now you have selected the "create a new work path" option from the path palate, select
the "add to path area".
3. Pen Tool

Once the new work path has been selected, take the Pen Tool from tool bar and click on
a blank canvas. You will notice that each click assigns anchor points. You can create a
straight line between these points by holding shift when you click.
4. Delete Anchor Point Tool

You can remove anchor points if necessary by right-clicking on the Pen Tool icon and
selecting the “Delete Anchor Point Tool”.
5. Add Anchor Point Tool

You can also add more points by right-clicking on the Pen Tool icon and selecting the
“Add Anchor Point Tool”.
6. Convert Point Tool

This option can be used to alter the properties of connecting lines and moving anchor
points around. Once selected, click on one of your anchor points and hold and drag - you
will notice that it affects the curve of the line.
7. Moving Anchor Points

With the Convert Point Tool active, you can also alter the location of anchor points.
Simply hold down "command" for mac and “crtl” for Windows while clicking on the
anchor point and drag - you can now move the anchor point around.
8. The Tangent Line

The Tangent Line appears when you enable the Convert Point Tool for the Photoshop
Pen Tool. This allows you to control the curvature of your lines. You can create very
sharp angles by simply clicking on one of the ends of the Tangent Line and dragging the
mouse. You’ll notice the curve you created previously will bend sharply depending
where you and how far you drag.

9. Moving the Whole Path

Finally, you can manipulate the whole path you have created by selecting the Path
Selection Tool using the toolbar. This will allow you to drag the whole path to a new
location.
Do you want to practice the pen tool to create a clipping path for a product image? Just
read another tutorial on how to make a clipping path using pen tool to get the desired
image part. Or click here to see details about clipping path.

Created by:
Rokaiya Yeasmin Munni
Senior Graphic Designer
and Deputy Manager(SEO)
of http://www.clippingpathindia.com